1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to warehouse storage pallet racks, and, more particularly, a kit for repairing front, or front and rear legs of the pallet rack frame structure which requires no welding to install.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Pallet racks are used for warehousing and provide a number of shelves on which goods are stored upon pallets so configured as to accept the forks of a fork lift for easy placement on and removal of the palleted goods from the rack. During normal operation of the fork lift, damage may be inflicted on the rack frame due to inadvertent collisions with the rack itself. Also, corrosion may occur in the lower part of the rack frame and legs due to flooding or the presence of very humid air, or from periodic floor cleaning or maintenance using strong chemical cleaning solutions.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,765,087, issued on Oct. 2, 1956, to Weinbaum, describes a system for constructing a knockdown pallet rack which employs mechanically interconnecting standard subassemblies which require no welding. The system relies on gravity to retain the various members in place. Although the system may be readily repaired by substituting new components, it is unlikely that the rack could be repaired in place without unloading the entire rack. This rack would necessarily be more expensive and less reliable than a standard pallet rack. The present invention is a kit capable of repairing standard, existing racks in place in warehouses without unloading the rack or welding splicing members to the rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,456, issued on Oct. 3, 1972, to Lewis describes a pallet rack assembly system with mechanical interconnections between members. The present invention employs mechanical interconnections, but in the environment of a repair kit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,812, issued on Feb. 21, 1978, to Skubic et al., describes post and beam components which are interchangeable with existing pallet racks and as such would be usable for repair of damaged racks. It would be necessary, however, to unload an existing rack and at least partially disassemble the rack in order to replace a post or beam with one of the '812 posts or beams. The present invention requires no unloading of the rack and no disassembly thereof.
A pallet rack repair kit has been recently marketed which is installable without unloading of the rack and requires no welding during installation. It consists of a frame with a front upright so configured as to receive the lower end of the frame upright after removal of the damaged lower portion, thereof, and to provide a mechanical splice therewith. Struts extend rearward from the kit upright and mechanically secure to the rear leg of the pallet rack frame. Hence, the force imparted by any subsequent impact to the front leg of the pallet rack is transferred to, and borne by, the rear leg of the pallet rack, which has lost some stability by loss of a cross member which normally extends between the front leg and the rear leg close to ground level.
By contrast, the repair kit of the present invention does not use the undamaged back leg of the pallet rack to support or increase the impact capacity of the repair kit. The present invention includes a second leg intermediate the damaged front leg and the rear leg of the pallet rack, together with upper and lower cross members which brace the upright legs of the repair kit in a rectangular formation, such that no additional weight must be born by the existing rear post, and, indeed, less weight must be borne by the existing rear post after kit installation.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a repair kit for industrial pallet rack frame solving the aforementioned problems is desired.